Courtesy Esmond Lyons
By Maureen Werther
In a region where new office buildings, apartments, condos and mixed-use structures are rapidly taking over the landscape, there are still residents and business people committed to restoring and stewarding the buildings that are part of the rich culture of the region.
Esmond and Danielle Lyons are one couple who have made a significant impact on their neighborhood with a dedication to restoring a Glens Falls church and rectory and transforming it into a space for yoga and the arts, as well as a private residence.
Esmond is a painter of murals and Danielle, who is also a painter, designs and creates jewelry and teaches yoga.
When they discovered the abandoned church on the corner of Grove and Garfield avenues in Glens Falls in 1995, it had been neglected for at least 30 years and there was a “condemned” sign on the front. The church had originally been sold to a private individual. It changed ownership two more times after that. Each previous owner had bought it with the intention of restoring it. But that never happened.
By the time the Lyons purchased it, parts of the ceilings had collapsed, resulting in extensive water damage, and the brick exterior needed serious repair and restoration. Most of the windows had been smashed. Members of the community had been pushing for the building to be demolished and most saw it as a blight on the neighborhood.
“I didn’t want the building when I first saw it,” said Esmond. “But my wife did. She is very wise.”
It wasn’t long before he realized that they had been given a stewardship role. “We were meant to buy this building.”
The Lyons spent the last 22 years restoring the building and transforming it into an artistic enclave and a source of pride in the neighborhood. In his first year living there, Esmond said he worked on renovating it for six months straight. For the next 20 years, they dedicated three months out of each year to its restoration.
“I could afford the materials, but not the labor,” said Esmond, and it was mostly he, his wife and his son Sean, when he got old enough to help, who did most of the work.
“We have people stop every day to tell us how much they love the building and what we’ve done to it,” said Esmond.
The nearly 6,000-square-foot structure holds a yoga studio and retreat with its own built-in sound system where Danielle holds a small weekly yoga class; an artist studio where Esmond paints and displays his work; and a studio where Danielle designs and makes jewelry. The Lyons also live in the building and there are two additional apartments in the rectory portion of the building.
Lyons said that they would never have been able to afford the property elsewhere and they are grateful that they found it 22 years ago. However, now that they have become grandparents, they are ready to pass their stewardship on to someone else who will continue to treat the property as a public monument that will serve the surrounding artistic community.
“This is a city that has so many good things happening right now and there are enormous opportunities for artists and creative people to live and work here,” said Lyons.